The range of an electric vehicle is typically proportional to the battery capacity and, as a result, may vary greatly due to fluctuations in the temperature of the battery. As such, customers in certain geographic areas that experience cold temperatures and/or large temperature swings could potentially experience a wide variety of electric vehicle performance, such as electric vehicle ranges. For example, an identical trip in a particular region using a vehicle with an RESS could vary substantially in terms of range and/or depletion of battery charge on different occasions depending on ambient temperature. Temperature effects may also further manifest in terms of battery state of health. For example, major fluctuations in temperature may result in accelerated RESS aging.
The present inventors have therefore determined that it would be desirable to provide methods and systems for determining optimal battery target temperatures and/or adjusting such battery temperatures in order to overcome one or more of the foregoing limitations and/or other limitations of the prior art.